Derek's lips press against the base of my neck, moving down my back to drag the tip of his tongue from the bottom of my spine up the divot. I shiver at the feel of it, my arm around his neck behind me.

"Derek, I have to go to work." I breathe, lolling my head back against his shoulder, "Derek!" I squeal when he lifts me and tosses me down onto the bed, kissing me deeply—trying to seduce me into going back to bed. Not getting up and going to my first day of work. I've been offered my sister-in-law's old job: the secretary for BHHS.

"Derek Hale, don't make me kick your ass. I'll do it if I have to."

"Can't the principal answer the phones?" He grumbles, tracing the neckline of my shirt with his forefinger.

"No. You've had me in bed for an entire week, Der. You can handle my being gone for the school day."

"I don't want Aiden to be that close to you."

"We're not going to argue about this. I'm Twenty-Three Years Old, a grown-ass woman. I'm going to work like every other woman my age."

"Mm. There's a lot of women your age that are married as well." He argues. I push him off, stand up, and peck his lips. He once again pulls me into his lap.

"Just half an hour more. You have an hour until you have to be at work." He pleads. God, I can't say no to him when he's like this. I shift until I'm straddling his legs—which are stretched straight in front of him—and bury my face into the warm flesh of his neck. He smirks, nipping at my jaw affectionately as I fall back asleep.

The sound of the alarm blaring not even fifteen minutes later wakes me and we both scramble to our feet. Oh, it's just Cora. With her backpack.

"What does it mean?" She asks Derek, nodding to the window. Their Triskelion symbol sits on the outside of the glass.

"It means they're coming. Tonight." He replies. Fear rolls through me.

"Cora, I have you slated for Office Assistant first period and then free period after lunch. It's easier to watch out for you." I tell her, looping my arm around her shoulders as we walk, "Where's Zac?"

"He stayed at Scott's last night to make sure nothing happened to Melissa. So did Preston. Daemon's on the bus, heading to school."

"You are a lifesaver, Cora," I breathe, tugging her in to kiss her temple. The way Talia had done so many times when I lived with them. She grins in response as we walk through downtown toward the high school. As we make our way up the front steps to the school, I pause. Cora stiffens in turn, glancing over at the two motorcycles. The Twins. But, there are no other vehicles here yet. Her body trembles.

"Get behind me." My voice comes out clipped and hard, my Alpha tone. My claws extend, my canines elongate, and my vision sharpens with red clouding the edges. My heart slams against my ribcage as I tiptoe into the building with my pregnant beta on my heels.

"You know, I take care of my things. And you," Aiden comes out of the darkness, eyes glowing red as well as they stare at me, "You're keeping me from something that belongs to me."

His gaze shifts to Cora.

"This baby is Isaac's." She snarls, hand placed protectively over her unborn child.

"If you're so sure about that, then your pulse wouldn't be so fast."

"Aiden, you've done enough damage." Cora grumbles, her fingers closed around my upper-arm, "You're the reason my sister was shot."

"I forgot how you Hales consider yourselves family to your packs."

"She is my family." I snarl, "Has been for nine years. If you come near my little sister again, I'll tear you apart."

Aiden smirks as he saunters forward—toward us. A shiver runs up my spine, the vivid memory of the pain after he assaulted me entering my thoughts. A low growl comes from behind us, and I glance over my shoulder to see not only Isaac, but Preston as well. I've never thought of Preston as feral until the moment I see him looking at the Alpha.

"Don't. Touch. Them."

"Preston, I wish I could say it was good to see you again. I thought I killed you."

"Goes to show how unintelligent you are, then." He replies, "Where's Del?"

"Delaney doesn't love you anymore. Give it up, man."

"I don't care. You're killing her!" He goes to lunge and I set my hand against the dark-haired boy's chest to stop him.

"Who the hell is Delaney?"

"Their Emissary." Preston answers, brown eyes turning somber, "My ex."

"The brown-haired girl. The one that was messing with my head."

"Yes."

"She's right here." A small voice says. She steps forward and tucks herself into Aiden's side the way I'd seen Sawyer do.

"Del," Chokes my brother, his heart pounding underneath my hand. She looks familiar with a long glance at her. Dark waves of brown hair, halfway down her shoulderblades, her pale skin, and her cobalt eyes. The girl's beautiful, and I can see why my brother's looking at her like nothing else exists on this earth.

"Preston." She greets coolly before turning to me, "So you're her. The girl that's put up walls against me." She traces all of me with her eerie eyes as a smirk settles on her face, "She's not as pretty as you said, Aid."

"Wow. Preston, you could do a hell of a lot better than this bitch." Isaac growls. I hadn't noticed when he moved. His arms around Cora, hands splayed out across her stomach, his chin on her shoulder as he stares down our enemy.

"I believe the girl you're holding onto is the bitch, Isaac." Delaney says lazily. He growls, eyes glowing.

When she strokes his arm and his anger ebbs instantly, I realize something. Cora and Isaac are mates. They're behaving the same way as Derek and I the night of my first full moon. When I attacked both Talia and Peter because I was afraid they were going to hurt him. She was meant to come back when she did.

"Where do I recognize you from?" I blurt out.

"Think, Emily. We've been following you for months."

The memories connect. Her face. She was in my home. She'd befriended Jacquie, one of my teenage betas. How dare she! I'd let her into my house without knowing who the hell she was and now they were all dead. It was how she'd influenced me so. The principal's car pulls up slowly and when I turn back around they've gone. It's just Isaac, Cora, Preston, and I.

"Hello, Miss Argent. I see you've brought your students with you. I expect them to behave if they're going to be here before the others."

"Yes, Principal Gilbert." All of them chorus together as he heads into his office. None of us say a word about the new threat we just came across. Preston's face is in a hard, grim expression. All I do is pull him close, and walk down the hallway with him. I need to talk to him about her. See if she's the reason for all the murders.

I'm sitting in the office, basically twiddling my thumbs when I hear the squeaking of rubber soles. Stiles comes flailing into the room, breathing heavily.

"What? What's going on?"

"I-I found something about Aiden and Ethan. You really need to see it." I settle into a chair beside him as he opens the laptop and pulls up to incident reports. Derek's family's house is on one side, and a nearly identical one on the other.

"What am I looking at?"

"The one on this side is Derek's house. But this one belonged to a Greyson family. It took place in 2011. Read the list of deceased family members. And then read the survivors."

"On the night of October 30th, 2011, the home of Kane and Kendall Greyson burned down to the ground. Five members of the family were killed. Kane Greyson, age 41. Kendall Thomas-Greyson, age 38. Three of their children; Michaela Greyson, 8, Liana Greyson, 12, and Nicholas Greyson, 18." My attention shifts to the survivors, "Their two middle children managed to escape before the flames reached their bedrooms; Aiden Greyson, age 15, and his twin brother, Ethan Greyson. The fire was started due to an electrical failure in the basement, where Gasoline had spilled."

I finish, taking a deep breath before I read Derek's police report.

"On the night of April 9th, 2005, the home of Talia Hale and family burned to the ground. Eleven members of said family were killed inside. Talia Hale, age 40, and her daughter, Cora, age 11, Talia's family was inside included; Shay Hale-Thompson, age 37, and her husband Brennan, age 40, Haylee Hale, age 25, and her daughter Ashley, age 3, Katherine Hale, age 24, and Cassia Hale, age 19. Marina Dupree-Hale, age 23, and her two children; Tara, age 6, and Mia, age 2. Peter Hale, age 25, escaped the fire. Talia is survived by her two children. Laura-" Her name chokes me, "Laura Hale, age 19, and D-Derek Hale, age 18."

I put the two together and my heart stutters.

"Kate. Kate killed Ethan and Aiden's family." I gasp, covering my mouth with my palm. Oh, God. What else can she do to ruin my life?! It makes sense for Aiden to want to harm me for what she did. But, why? She'd have absolutely no reason.

"Exactly. And, look at the coroner's signature."

"It's exactly the same…Wait." I swallow heavily, "That's-That's Alexander's handwriting. My brother helped Kate get away with the fires."

"Emily…Who was Marina?"

"Peter's wife." I whisper, "She was…incredible. Kind. Mild. The opposite of Peter. He wasn't always this bad, Stiles. Peter used to be tolerable."

The sobered-up feeling in my chest doesn't leave for the rest of the day. All those people…All the terrible things she'd done…I have to know why. Checking for Aiden's last period class, I stalk down the hallway and wait outside the room. When he comes out, I take hold of his wrist and pull him aside.

"I know about the fire that killed your family." I tell him, honestly, "And I want to know why. Kate did this to the Hales because of me. But you? You were 5,000 miles away from here."

"Your sister was sleeping with me. She said she was in love with me, and bullshitted me until I told her about my family, and then she torched my entire family." I feel sick. My stomach knots up in a sickening way. Oh. God. She…He was a child! He was fifteen. I cover my mouth with my palm and turn to walk away when he says, "You reminded me of her. It's why I was so rough with you."

I don't say a word as I head out into the pouring rain.